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According to court records, Cory King, 26, had run a couple of errands with Dickey on Monday afternoon. When he asked her if he could sleep on her couch, she said no.

King told investigators he was high on marijuana and Xanax and could sense Dickey didn’t trust him, so he said he grabbed her from behind and attacked her with a knife and box cutter, leaving her to die in her bathtub.

Police said King told them he stole pills and $10 from Dickey’s purse before driving off in her car.

Dickey’s daughter, Miranda Rice, found her mother’s body. She said she’s grateful that police made an arrest.

“My family and I would just like to thank the police and investigators for all the hours they put in to find out who did this to my mom,” she said. “She never hurt anybody. She was open and generous. She’ll be dearly missed by everyone who knew her.”

“I’m really hoping that Miranda’s able to sleep a little better at night now. It’s definitely a big relief, even though this isn’t over,” said Matt Rice, Dickey’s son-in-law.

Miranda Rice owns the cellphone that her mom used and it helped police track calls made from it. Police also used surveillance video from a convenience store to help track King’s movements. He was arrested at a motel on Highway 350, where a resident said King tried to sell him drugs. He was arrested moments later.

Dickey’s mother, Vivian Bruner, was among those who gathered Thursday to share memories.

“She’d take me to my favorite restaurant and she would tell the waitress and the people there, ‘I’m spoiling my mom and it’s fun,’” she said.